In order to increase the power density, the discontinuous conducting mode (DCM) and small inductance is adopted for high power bidirectional dc-dc converter. The DCM related current ripple is minimized with multiphase interleaved operation. The turn-off loss caused by the DCM induced high peak current is reduced by snubber capacitor. The energy stored in the capacitor needs to be discharged before device is turned on. A complementary gating signal control scheme is employed to turn on the non-active switch helping discharge the capacitor and diverting the current into the anti-paralleled diode of the active switch. This realizes the zero voltage resonant transition (ZVRT) of main switches. This scheme also eliminates the parasitic ringing in inductor current. This work proposes an inductance and snubber capacitor optimization methodology. The inductor volume index and the inductor valley current are suggested as the optimization method for small volume and the realization of ZVRT. The proposed capacitance optimization method is based on a series of experiments for minimum overall switching loss. According to the suggested design optimization, a high power density hardware prototype is constructed and tested. The experimental results are provided, and the proposed design approach is verified. In this dissertation, a general-purposed power stage model is proposed based on complementary gating signal control scheme and derived with space-state averaging method. The model features a third-order system, from which a second-order model with resistive load on one side can be derived and a first-order model with a voltage source on both sides can be derived. This model sets up a basis for the unified controller design and optimization. The Δ-type model of coupled inductor is introduced and simplified to provide a more clearly physical meaning for design and dynamic analysis. These models have been validated by the Simplis ac analysis simulation. For power flow control, a unified controller concept is proposed based on the derived general-purposed power stage model. The proposed unified controller enables smooth bidirectional current flow. Controller is implemented with digital signal processing (DSP) for experimental verification. The inductor current is selected as feedback signal in resistive load, and the output current is selected as feedback signal in battery load. Load step and power flow step control tests are conducted for resistive load and battery load separately. The results indicate that the selected sensing signal can produce an accurate and fast enough feedback signal. Experimental results show that the transition between charging and discharging is very smooth, and there is no overshoot or undershoot transient. It presents a seamless transition for bidirectional current flow. The smooth transition should be attributed to the use of the complementary gating signal control scheme and the proposed unified controller. System simulations are made, and the results are provided. The test results have a good agreement with system simulation results, and the unified controller performs as expected. / Ph. D.

The demand for high power density keeps driving the development of electromagnetic integration technologies in the field of power electronics. Based on planar homogeneous integrated structures, the mechanism of the electromagnetic integration of passives has been investigated with distributed-parameter models. High order modeling of integrated passives has been developed to investigate the electromagnetic performance. The design algorithm combining electromagnetic design and loss models has been developed to optimize and evaluate the spiral winding structure. High power density of 480 W/in3 has been obtained on the prototype. Due to the structural limitation, the currently applied planar spiral winding structure does not sufficiently utilize the space, and the structure is mechanically vulnerable. The improvement on structures is necessary for further application of integrated passives. The goal of this research is to investigate and evaluate alternative structures for high-power-density integrated passives. The research covers electromagnetic modeling, constructional study, design algorithm, loss modeling, thermal management and implementation technology The symmetric single layer structure and the stacked structure are proposed to overcome the disadvantages of the currently applied planar spiral winding structure. Because of the potential of high power density and low power loss, the stacked structure is selected for further research. The structural characteristics and the processing technologies are addressed. By taking an integrated LLCT module as the study case, the general design algorithm is developed to find out a set of feasible designs. The obtained design maps are used to evaluate the constraints from spatial, materials and processing technologies for the stacked structure. Based on the assumption of one-dimensional magnetic filed on the cross-section and linear current distribution along the longitudinal direction of the stacked structure, the electromagnetic field distribution is analyzed and the loss modeling is made. The experimental method is proposed to measure the loss and to verify the calculation. The power loss in the module leads to thermal issues, which limit the processed power of power electronics modules and thus limit the power density. To further improve the power handling ability of the module, the thermal management is made based on loss estimation. The heat extraction technology is developed to improve the heat removal ability and further improve the power density of integrated passives. The experimental results verify the power density improvement from the proposed stacked structure and the applied heat extraction technology. The power density of 1147 W/in3 (70 W/cm3) is achieved in the implemented LLCT module with the efficiency of 97.8% at output power of 1008W. / Ph. D.

With the development of solar energy, power conversion systems responsible for energy delivering from photovoltaic (PV) modules to ac or dc grid attract wide attentions and have significantly increased installations worldwide. Modular power conversion system has the highest efficiency of maximum power point tacking (MPPT), which can transfer more solar power to electricity. However, this system suffers the drawbacks of low power conversion efficiency and high cost due to a large number of power electronics converters. High-power density can provide potentials to reduce cost through the reduction of components and potting materials. Nowadays, the power electronics converters with the conventional silicon (Si) based power semiconductor devices are developed maturely and have limited improvements regarding in power conversion efficiency and power density. With the availability of wide bandgap devices, the power electronics converters have extended opportunities to achieve higher efficiency and higher power density due to the desirable features of wide bandgap devices, such as low on-state resistance, small junction capacitance and high switching speed. This dissertation focuses on the application of wide bandgap devices to the dc-dc power conversion for the modular PV applications in an effort to improve the power conversion efficiency and power density. Firstly, the structure of gallium-nitride (GaN) device is studied theoretically and characteristics of GaN device are evaluated under testing with both hard-switching and soft-switching conditions. The device performance during steady-state and transitions are explored under different power level conditions and compared with Si based devices. Secondly, an isolated high-efficiency GaN-based dc-dc converter with capability of wide range regulation is proposed for modular PV applications. The circuit configuration of secondary side is a proposed active-boost-rectifier, which merges a Boost circuit and a voltage-doubler rectifier. With implementation of the proposed double-pulse duty cycle modulation method, the active-boost-rectifier can not only serve for synchronous rectification but also achieve the voltage boost function. The proposed converter can achieve zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) of primary side switches and zero-current-switching (ZCS) of secondary side switches regardless of the input voltages or output power levels. Therefore, the proposed converter not only keeps the benefits of highly-efficient series resonant converter (SRC) but also achieves a higher voltage gain than SRC and a wide range regulation ability without adding additional switches while operating under the fixed-frequency condition. GaN devices are utilized in both primary and secondary sides. A 300-W hardware prototype is built to achieve a peak efficiency of 98.9% and a California Energy Commission (CEC) weighted efficiency of 98.7% under nominal input voltage condition. Finally, the proposed converter is designed and optimized at 1-MHz switching frequency to pursue the feature of high-power density. Considering the ac effects under high frequency, the magnetic components and PCB structure are optimized with finite element method (FEM) simulations. Compared with 140-kHz design, the volume of 1-MHz design can reduce more than 70%, while the CEC efficiency only drops 0.8% at nominal input voltage condition. There are also key findings on circuit design techniques to reduce parasitic effects. The parasitic inductances induced from PCB layout of primary side circuit can cause the unbalanced resonant current between positive and negative half cycles if the power loops of two half cycles have asymmetrical parasitic inductances. Moreover, these parasitic inductances reflecting to secondary side should be considered into the design of resonant inductance. The parasitic capacitances of secondary side could affect ZVS transitions and increase the required magnetizing current. Because of large parasitic capacitances, the dead-time period occupies a large percentage of entire switching period in MHz operations, which should be taken into consideration when designing the resonant frequency of resonant network. / Doctor of Philosophy / Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energies to replace the conventional fossils. Power electronics converters are necessary to transfer power from solar panels to dc or ac grid. Since the output of solar panel is low voltage with a wide range and the grid side is high voltage, this power converter should meet the basic requirements of high step up and wide range regulation. Additionally, high power conversion efficiency is an important design purpose in order to save energy. The existing solutions have limitations of narrow regulating range, low efficiency or complicated circuit structure. Recently, the third-generation power semiconductors attract more and more attentions who can help to reduce the power loss. They are named as wide band gap devices. This dissertation proposed a wide band gap devices based power converter with ability of wide regulating range, high power conversion efficiency and simple circuit structure. Moreover, this proposed converter is further designed for high power density, which reduces more than 70% of volume. In this way, small power converter can merge into the junction box of solar panel, which can reduce cost and be convenient for installations.

Over the past ten years, there has been increased use of electronic power processing in alternative, sustainable, and distributed energy sources, as well as energy storage systems, transportation systems, and the power grid. Three-phase voltage source converters (VSCs) have become the converter of choice in many ac medium- and high-power applications due to their many advantages, such as high efficiency and fast response. For transportation applications, high power density is the key design target, since increasing power density can reduce fuel consumption and increase the total system efficiency. While power electronics devices have greatly improved the efficiency, overall performance and power density of power converters, using power electronic devices also introduces EMI issues to the system, which means filters are inevitable in those systems, and they make up a significant portion of the total system size and cost. Thus, designing for high power density for both power converters and passive components, especially filters, becomes the key issue for three-phase converters. This dissertation explores two different approaches to reducing the EMI filter size. One approach focuses on the EMI filters itself, including using advanced EMI filter structures to improve filter performance and modifying the EMI filter design method to avoid overdesign. The second approach focuses on reducing the EMI noise generated from the converter using a three-level and/or interleaving topology and changing the modulation and control methods to reduce the noise source and reduce the weight and size of the filters. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 describes the motivations and objectives of this research. After an examination of the surveyed results from the literature, the challenges in this research area are addressed. Chapter 2 studies system-level EMI modeling and EMI filter design methods for voltage source converters. Filter-design-oriented EMI modeling methods are proposed to predict the EMI noise analytically. Based on these models, filter design procedures are improved to avoid overdesign using in-circuit attenuation (ICA) of the filters. The noise propagation path impedance is taken into consideration as part of a detailed discussion of the interaction between EMI filters, and the key design constraints of inductor implementation are presented. Based on the modeling, design and implementation methods, the impact of the switching frequency on EMI filter weight design is also examined. A two-level dc-fed motor drive system is used as an example, but the modeling and design methods can also be applied to other power converter systems. Chapter 3 presents the impact of the interleaving technique on reducing the system passive weight. Taking into consideration the system propagation path impedance, small-angle interleaving is studied, and an analytical calculation method is proposed to minimize the inductor value for interleaved systems. The design and integration of interphase inductors are also analyzed, and the analysis and design methods are verified on a 2 kW interleaved two-level (2L) motor drive system. Chapter 4 studies noise reduction techniques in multi-level converters. Nearest three space vector (NTSV) modulation, common-mode reduction (CMR) modulation, and common-mode elimination (CME) modulation are studied and compared in terms of EMI performance, neutral point voltage balancing, and semiconductor losses. In order to reduce the impact of dead time on CME modulation, the two solutions of improving CME modulation and compensating dead time are proposed. To verify the validity of the proposed methods for high-power applications, a 100 kW dc-fed motor drive system with EMI filters for both the AC and DC sides is designed, implemented and tested. This topology gains benefits from both interleaving and multilevel topologies, which can reduce the noise and filter size significantly. The trade-offs of system passive component design are discussed, and a detailed implementation method and real system full-power test results are presented to verify the validity of this study in higher-power converter systems. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes the contributions of this dissertation and discusses some potential improvements for future work. / Ph. D.

The trend towards more and all-electric apparatuses and more electrification will lead to higher electrical demand. Increases in electrical power demand can be provided by either higher currents or higher voltages. Due to "weight" and "voltage" drop, a raise in the current is not preferred; so, "higher voltages" are being considered. Another trend is to reduce the size and weight of apparatuses. Combined, these two trends result in the high voltage, high power density concept. It is expected that by 2030, 80% of all electric power will flow through "power electronics systems". In regards to the high voltage, high power density concept described above, "wide bandgap (WBG) power modules" made from materials such as "SiC and GaN (and, soon, Ga2O3 and diamond)", which can endure "higher voltages" and "currents" rather than "Si-based modules", are considered to be the most promising solution to reducing the size and weight of "power conversion systems". In addition to the trend towards higher "blocking voltage", volume reduction has been targeted for WBG devices. The blocking voltage is the breakdown voltage capability of the device, and volume reduction translates into power density increase. This leads to extremely high electric field stress, E, of extremely nonuniform type within the module, leading to a higher possibility of "partial discharge (PD)" and, in turn, insulation degradation and, eventually, breakdown of the module. Unless the discussed high E issue is satisfactorily addressed and solved, realizing next-generation high power density WBG power modules that can properly operate will not be possible. Contributions and innovations of this Ph.D. work are as follows. i) Novel electric field grading techniques including (a) various geometrical techniques, (b) applying "nonlinear field-dependent conductivity (FDC) materials" to high E regions, and (c) combination of (a) and (b), are developed; ii) A criterion for the electric stress intensity based upon accurate dimensions of a power device package and its "PD measurement" is presented; iii) Guidelines for the electrical insulation design of next-generation high voltage (up to 30 kV), high power density "WBG power modules" as both the "one-minute insulation" and PD tests according to the standard IEC 61287-1 are introduced; iv) Influence of temperature up to 250°C and frequency up to 1 MHz on E distribution and electric field grading methods mentioned in i) is studied; and v) A coupled thermal and electrical (electrothermal) model is developed to obtain thermal distribution within the module precisely. All models and simulations are developed and carried out in COMSOL Multiphysics. / Doctor of Philosophy / In power engineering, power conversion term means converting electric energy from one form to another such as converting between AC and DC, changing the magnitude or frequency of AC or DC voltage or current, or some combination of these. The main components of a power electronic conversion system are power semiconductor devices acted as switches. A power module provides the physical containment and package for several power semiconductor devices. There is a trend towards the manufacturing of electrification apparatuses with higher power density, which means handling higher power per unit volume, leading to less weight and size of apparatuses for a given power. This is the case for power modules as well. Conventional "silicon (Si)-based semiconductor technology" cannot handle the power levels and switching frequencies required by "next-generation" utility applications. In this regard, "wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials", such as "silicon carbide (SiC)"," gallium nitride (GaN)", and, soon, "gallium oxide" and "diamond" are capable of higher switching frequencies and higher voltages, while providing for lower switching losses, better thermal conductivities, and the ability to withstand higher operating temperatures. Regarding the high power density concept mentioned above, the challenge here, now and in the future, is to design compact WBG-based modules. To this end, the extremely nonuniform high electric field stress within the power module caused by the aforementioned trend and emerging WBG semiconductor switches should be graded and mitigated to prevent partial discharges that can eventually lead to breakdown of the module. In this Ph.D. work, new electric field grading methods including various geometrical techniques combined with applying nonlinear field-dependent conductivity (FDC) materials to high field regions are introduced and developed through simulation results obtained from the models developed in this thesis.

With the development of information technology, the market for power management of telecom and computing equipment keeps increasing. Distributed power systems are widely adopted in the telecom and computing applications for the reason of high performance and high reliability. Recently industry brought out aggressively high efficiency requirements for a wide load range for power management in telecom and computing equipment. High efficiency over a wide load range is now a requirement. On the other hand, power density is still a big challenge for front-end AC/DC converters. For DPS systems, front-end AC/DC converters are under the pressure of continuous increasing power density requirement. Although increasing switching frequency can dramatically reduce the passive component size, its effectiveness is limited by the converter efficiency and thermal management. Technologies to further increase the power density without compromising the efficiency need to be studied. The industry today is also at the beginning of transferring their design from analog control to full digital control strategy. Although issues are still exist, reducing components count, reducing the development cycle time, increasing the reliability, enhancing the circuit noise immunity and reducing the cost, all of these benefits indicate a great potential of the digital control. This thesis is focusing on how to improve the efficiency and power density by taking the advantages of the digital control. A novel Ï /2 phase shift two Channel interleaving PFC is developed to shrink the EMI filter size while maintain a good efficiency. A sophisticated power management strategy that associates with phase shedding and adaptive phase angle control is also discussed to increase the efficient for the entire load range without compromising the EMI filter size. The method of current sampling is proposed for Ï /2 phase shift two Channel interleaving PFC and multi-channel adaptive phase angle shift PFC is proposed to accurately extract the average total current information. A noise free current sampling strategy is also proposed that adjusting the sampling edge according to duty cycle information. An isolated ZVS dual boost converter is proposed to be the DC/DC stage of the front-end converter. This PWM converter has similar performance as the LLC resonant converter. It has hold up time extension capability without compromising the normal operation efficiency. It can achieve ZVS for all the switches. The current limit and SR implementation is much easier than LLC. State plane method, which potentially can be extent to other complex topologies, is used to fully study this circuit. All the operation modes are understood through the state plane method. The best operation mode is discovered for the front end applications. Light load efficiency is improved by the proposed pulse skipping method to guarantee the ZVS operation meanwhile reduce the switching frequency. Current limit operation is also proposed to restrict a best operation mode by fully taking the advantage of digital control that precisely control the circuit under the over current condition. High efficiency high power density is achieved by new topology, innovative interleaving, and the sophisticated digital control method. / Master of Science

El efecto multipactor de ruptura en RF ha sido objeto de numerosos estudios desde hace más de 80 años, a partir del desarrollo de los primeros aceleradores de partículas en la primera mitad del siglo XX. A mediados de ese siglo, con el desarrollo de fuentes de alta potencia para aplicaciones radar y la llegada de los satélites artificiales, la investigación del multipactor cobró una considerable relevancia, al convertirse este fenómeno en un riesgo determinante para costosos proyectos comerciales. Las guías de onda con secciones rectas canónicas, como las rectangulares o las coaxiales, han sido tradicionalmente las más utilizadas en dispositivos de microondas. Sus principales ventajas son que sus campos electromagnéticos pueden resolverse analíticamente, lo que permite su aplicación directa en diseños complejos, y la simplicidad de su fabricación. Pero las capacidades de computación y las prestaciones de los algoritmos se han multiplicado con los años, lo que ha permitido ampliar el espectro de posibles topologías a geometrías casi arbitrarias, ofreciendo al diseñador una mayor libertad creativa. En todo caso, gran parte de los dispositivos de microondas actuales siguen confiando en la madurez y fiabilidad de las tecnologías de guía de onda tradicionales, que no requieren una inversión adicional en equipos de fabricación. La supresión del efecto multipactor es la motivación para arriesgarse a probar topologías de guía de onda innovadoras, como la guía en forma de cuña. Es en este contexto donde este trabajo de doctorado pretende ofrecer una contribuci'on. En primer lugar, se ha desarrollado un modelo numérico para predecir el efecto multipactor de ruptura en guías de onda huecas en forma de cuña. Esta herramienta ha permitido la identificación de criterios óptimos de diseño. Así mismo, se ha adaptado un método de síntesis de filtros paso-banda en guía rectangular para poder realizar un diseño similar pero basado en la nueva topología. Como culminación, las estructuras diseñadas se han fabricado y medido, con el fin de comprobar sus prestaciones electromagnéticas y su sensibilidad al efecto multipactor. Se ha registrado además una patente para proteger estos nuevos filtros. En resumen, el trabajo ha abarcado el ciclo de actividades relacionadas con el desarrollo industrial completo de un dispositivo pasivo de microondas: investigación básica, análisis, diseño, fabricación y calificación con medidas en el laboratorio. Estas medidas han comprobado la mejora prevista en los umbrales de multipactor de los filtros de microondas con topología en forma de cu¿na, y han confirmado que pueden ofrecer respuestas en frecuencia similares a aquellas de filtros basados en una guía de onda rectangular equivalente. Las implicaciones de los resultados han sido evaluadas a fondo y resumidas en este documento. Como observación final, se ha intentado redactar esta investigación de manera que refleje el proceso natural de aprendizaje, mostrando los aciertos y errores experimentados en el camino, todos los cuales han conducido al resultado final. Este reto no hubiera sido posible sin el apoyo y compromiso de varios profesionales de diferentes centros de investigación e industrias europeas (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Universidad de Valencia, Agencia Espacial Europea, Thales Alenia Espacio Espa¿na, Technische Universit¿at Darmstadt, 'Ecole Polythecnique F'ed'erale de Lausanne, Tesat, Aurora Software and Testing y Val Space Consortium), a los cuales estoy agradecido. / The multipactor RF breakdown effect has been object of numerous studies for over 80 years, since the development of the first particle accelerators in the beginning of the 20th century. Around the middle of that century, with the development of high power sources for radar applications and with the emergence of the artificial satellites, a new impulse was given to the multipactor research, since it became a risk for expensive commercial projects. Traditionally, waveguides with canonical cross sections, like rectangular or coaxial ones, have been the building blocks of most microwave devices. Their main advantages are that their electromagnetic fields can be solved analytically, enabling their direct application in complex designs, as well as their manufacturing simplicity. But over the years the computation capabilities and algorithms have continuously evolved, which has broadened the spectrum of possible topologies to almost arbitrary geometries, offering the designer more room for creativity. However, most of the current microwave devices still trust on the mature canonical waveguide technologies, which do not require an additional investment in manufacturing equipment. The suppression of the multipactor effect is the motivation for considering an innovative waveguide topology, like the wedge-shaped waveguide. It is within this context where this PhD work aims to offer a contribution. On the one hand, a numerical model for predicting the multipactor breakdown effect in wedge-shaped hollow waveguides has been developed. This tool has aided in the derivation of optimised design criteria. On the other hand, a bandpass filter synthesis method for rectangular waveguide has been adapted in order to calculate a similar design based on the new topology. As a culmination, the designed structures have been manufactured and tested, in order to verify their electromagnetic performance and their multipactor sensibility. A patent was also filed to protect these new filters. In short, this work has comprised the cycle of activities related to the whole industrial development of a passive microwave device: basic research, analysis, design, manufacturing and qualification through testing. These measurements have verified the predicted improvement in the multipactor thresholds of microwave filters with wedge-shaped topology, and have confirmed that they can offer similar frequency responses to the equivalent rectangular waveguide ones. The implications of the results have been thoroughly evaluated and summarised in this document. As a final remark, this research document has been drafted to reflect the natural learning process, and to show the rights and wrongs experienced in the way, which all have led to the final result. Such an endeavour would not have been possible without the support and commitment of several professionals from different European research centres and industries (Universidad Polit'ecnica de Valencia, Universidad de Valencia, European Space Agency, Thales Alenia Espacio Spain, Technische Universit¿at Darmstadt, 'Ecole Polythecnique F'ed'erale de Lausanne, Tesat, Aurora Software and Testing and Val Space Consortium), for which I am grateful. / Hueso González, J. (2013). Analysis of wedge-shaped waveguides and design of multipactor-resistant microwave bandpass filters. Análisis de guías de onda en forma de cuña y diseño de filtros de microondas paso-banda resistentes al efecto multipactor [Tesis doctoral]. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/33750

Tesis por compendio / [ES] Generalmente, se utilizan tratamientos térmicos para la esterilización de emulsiones. Sin embargo, el calentamiento ha demostrado inducir la hidrólisis de lípidos y lecitina. En este sentido, las tecnologías no térmicas están surgiendo en la industria para alcanzar la estabilidad microbiana evitando la pérdida de calidad relacionada con el calor. El CO2 supercrítico (SC-CO2) y los campos eléctricos pulsados (PEF) son tecnologías no térmicas para la inactivación microbiana. Sin embargo, estas técnicas en ocasiones requieren altas intensidades o tiempos de tratamiento largos para garantizar la seguridad del producto. La literatura ha demostrado la capacidad de los ultrasonidos de alta potencia (HPU) para intensificar fenómenos de transferencia de masa y calor. Por lo tanto, su aplicación a tecnologías no térmicas podría ser un enfoque interesante para mejorar la efectividad de la inactivación microbiana. En este contexto, el objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de los tratamientos SC-CO2, PEF y HPU, aplicados de forma individual y combinada, sobre la inactivación de diferentes microorganismos en emulsiones. Para ello, por un lado, se estudió el efecto de la aplicación de HPU a los tratamientos SC-CO2 sobre diferentes tipos de microorganismos y sobre medios con diferente contenido en aceite. Por otro lado, se evaluó el efecto de los tratamientos PEF y HPU individuales y combinados sobre diferentes microorganismos Los resultados mostraron que, en general, la aplicación de HPU intensificó la capacidad de inactivación de SC-CO2. Los HPU probablemente facilitaron la solubilidad del CO2 en el medio y provocaron daños en las células. En este sentido, el análisis microscópico de las células inactivadas reveló importantes cambios morfológicos, incluyendo paredes celulares dañadas y pérdida del contenido citoplasmático. En cambio, los HPU no mejoraron la inactivación de SC-CO2 de las esporas de A. niger en emulsión. El aumento de la presión llevó a una mayor inactivación, a excepción de E. coli en agua, donde no se encontró efecto de la presión. Sin embargo, las presiones por encima de 350 bar no parecen ejercer ninguna inactivación adicional. El aumento de temperatura tuvo un efecto significativo para todos los tratamientos y microorganismos. En cuanto al efecto del medio, se sabe que la presencia de aceite protege a los microorganismos, como se observó en la inactivación de bacterias SC-CO2 en agua y en emulsiones con diferente contenido en aceite. Sin embargo, la aplicación de HPU enmascaró el efecto protector que ejerce el aceite en las emulsiones. En cambio, para las esporas de A. niger no se encontró efecto del medio sobre la efectividad de los tratamientos. En relación al efecto de los tratamientos de SC-CO2 + HPU sobre la calidad de las emulsiones, se encontró un efecto leve de las condiciones del proceso y mediante la selección de condiciones adecuadas de SC-CO2 + HPU, se pudieron obtener cambios mínimos en la calidad de las emulsiones y una inactivación satisfactoria de todos los microorganismos, excepto para las esporas de G. stearothermophilus. Con respecto a los tratamientos de PEF y HPU, no se logró la inactivación completa de las emulsiones con los tratamientos individuales. Sin embargo, cuando el PEF (152,3-176,3 kJ / kg) fue seguido de HPU (3 min), se obtuvieron niveles de inactivación de 8,2, 6,6 y 1,0 ciclos-log para E. coli, A. niger y B. pumilus. Además, la inactivación lograda por el tratamiento con PEF-HPU fue mayor que la de la suma de los tratamientos individuales para todos los microorganismos. Por el contrario, la inactivación lograda por el tratamiento HPU-PEF fue menor que la de la suma de los tratamientos individuales. Por lo tanto, la secuencia más eficaz fue aquella en la que el PEF fue seguido de los HPU. Se puede concluir que, la combinación de HPU con SC-CO2 o PEF generalmente mejoró la inactivación microbiana. En consecuencia, se podrían utili / [CA] Generalment, s'utilitzen tractaments tèrmics per a l'esterilització d'emulsions. No obstant això, el calfament ha demostrat induir la hidròlisi de lípids i lecitina. En aquest sentit, les tecnologies no tèrmiques estan sorgint en la indústria per a aconseguir l'estabilitat microbiana evitant la pèrdua de qualitat relacionada amb la calor. El CO¿ supercrític (SC-CO¿) i els camps elèctrics premuts (PEF) són tecnologies no tèrmiques per a la inactivació microbiana. No obstant això, aquestes tècniques a vegades requereixen altes intensitats o temps de tractament llargs per a garantir la seguretat del producte. La literatura ha demostrat la capacitat dels ultrasons d'alta potència (HPU) per a intensificar fenòmens de transferència de massa i calor. Per tant, la seua aplicació a tecnologies no tèrmiques podria ser un enfocament interessant per a millorar l'efectivitat de la inactivació microbiana. En aquest context, l'objectiu va ser avaluar l'efecte dels tractaments SC-CO¿, PEF i HPU, aplicats de manera individual i combinada, sobre la inactivació de diferents microorganismes en emulsions. Per a això, d'una banda, es va estudiar l'efecte de l'aplicació de HPU als tractaments SC-CO¿ sobre diferents tipus de microorganismes i sobre mitjans amb diferent contingut en oli. D'altra banda, es va avaluar l'efecte dels tractaments PEF i HPU individuals i combinats sobre diferents microorganismes Els resultats van mostrar que, en general, l'aplicació de HPU va intensificar la capacitat d'inactivació de SC-CO2. Els HPU probablement van facilitar la solubilitat del CO¿ en el mitjà i van provocar danys en les cèl·lules. En aquest sentit, l'anàlisi microscòpica de les cèl·lules inactivades va revelar importants canvis morfològics, incloent parets cel·lulars danyades i pèrdua del contingut citoplasmàtic. En canvi, els HPU no van millorar la inactivació de SC-CO2 de les espores de A. niger en emulsió. L'augment de la pressió va portar a una major inactivació, a excepció d'E. coli en aigua, on no es va trobar efecte de la pressió. No obstant això, les pressions per damunt de 350 bar no semblen exercir cap inactivació addicional. L'augment de temperatura va tindre un efecte significatiu per a tots els tractaments i microorganismes. Quant a l'efecte del medi, se sap que la presència d'oli protegeix els microorganismes, com es va observar en la inactivació de bacteris SC-CO¿ en aigua i en emulsions amb diferent contingut en oli. No obstant això, l'aplicació de HPU va emmascarar l'efecte protector que exerceix l'oli en les emulsions. En canvi, per a les espores de A. niger no es va trobar efecte del medi sobre l'efectivitat dels tractaments. En relació a aquest efecte dels tractaments de SC-CO2 + HPU sobre la qualitat de les emulsions, es va trobar un efecte lleu de les condicions del procés i mitjançant la selecció de condicions adequades de SC-CO2 + HPU, es van poder obtindre canvis mínims en la qualitat de les emulsions i una inactivació satisfactòria de tots els microorganismes, excepte per a les espores de G. stearothermophilus. Respecte als tractaments de PEF i HPU, no es va aconseguir la inactivació completa de les emulsions amb els tractaments individuals. No obstant això, quan el PEF (152,3-176,3 kJ / kg) va ser seguit de HPU (3 min), es van obtindre nivells d'inactivació de 8,2, 6,6 i 1,0 cicles- log per a E. coli, A. niger i B. pumilus. A més, la inactivació reeixida pel tractament amb PEF- HPU va ser major que la de la suma dels tractaments individuals per a tots els microorganismes. Per contra, la inactivació reeixida pel tractament HPU- PEF va ser menor que la de la suma dels tractaments individuals. Per tant, la seqüència més eficaç va ser aquella en la qual el PEF va ser seguit dels HPU. Es pot concloure que, la combinació de HPU amb SC-CO¿ o PEF generalment va millorar la inactivació microbiana. En conseqüència, es podrien utilitzar temps de / [EN] Thermal treatments are generally used for the sterilization of emulsions. However, heating has demonstrated its ability to induce the hydrolysis of lipids and lecithin. In this sense, non-thermal technologies are emerging in the industry with the aim of achieving microbial stability while avoiding the loss of quality related to heat. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) are non-thermal technologies for microbial inactivation. However, these techniques have demonstrated to require high treatment intensities or long treatment times to guarantee the product's safety. Therefore, there is still room for the improvement in the use of these technologies. Literature has illustrated the capacity of high power ultrasound (HPU) for the intensification of mass and/or heat transfer phenomena. Therefore, its application to non-thermal technologies could be an interesting approach to enhance the microbial inactivation effectiveness. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the effect of SC-CO2, PEF and HPU treatments, applied in individual and combined form, on the inactivation of different microorganisms in emulsions. In order to achieve this goal, on the one hand, the influence of the implementation of HPU to the SC-CO2 treatments was studied on different types of microorganisms and on media with different oil content. On the other hand, the effect of the individual and combined PEF and HPU treatments was assessed on different microorganisms. Results showed that, generally, the application of HPU intensified the inactivation capacity of SC-CO2. HPU probably enhanced the solubilization of CO2 into the medium and provoked damages in the cells. In this regard, the microscopy analysis of the inactivated cells revealed important morphological changes, including damaged cell walls and an important loss of the cytoplasmic content. Nevertheless, HPU did not improved the SC-CO2 inactivation of A. niger spores in emulsion. The increase of the pressure led to a higher inactivation, except for E. coli in water, where no effect of pressure was found. However, pressures above 350 bar did not seem to exert any additional inactivation. The increase of the temperature had a significant effect for all treatments and microorganisms. Regarding the effect of the medium, the presence of oil is known to protect microorganisms, as was observed in the SC-CO2 inactivation of bacteria in water and in emulsions with different oil content. However, the application of HPU masked the protective effect exerted by the oil in the emulsions. On the contrary, for A. niger spores no effect of the media was found on the effectiveness of the treatments In relation to the effect of the SC-CO2 + HPU treatments on the quality of the treated emulsions, only a mild effect of the process conditions was found and by the selection of suitable SC-CO2 + HPU conditions, minimal changes on the quality of the emulsions and a satisfactory inactivation for all the microorganisms, except for G. stearothermophilus spores, can be obtained. Regarding PEF and HPU treatments, the complete inactivation in the emulsions was not achieved with the individual treatments. However, when PEF (152.3-176.3 kJ/kg) was followed by HPU (3 min), inactivation levels of 8.2, 6.6 and 1.0 log-cycles were obtained for E. coli, A. niger and B. pumilus, respectively. Moreover, the inactivation achieved by the PEF-HPU treatment was higher than the sum of the individual treatments for all microorganisms. On the contrary, the inactivation achieved by HPU-PEF treatment was lower than that of the sum of the individual treatments. Thus, the most effective sequence for the combined treatment was the one in which PEF was followed by HPU. It can be concluded that, the combination of HPU with SC-CO2 or PEF generally improved the microbial inactivation. Consequently, reasonable processing times and mild process conditions could be used. / Gómez Gómez, Á. (2021). Pasteurization of Lipid Emulsions with Supercritical CO2 and High Power Ultrasound [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/175486 / Compendio

For decades, the Silicon-based semiconductors have been the solution for power electronics applications. However, these semiconductors have approached their limits of operation in blocking voltage, working temperature and switching frequency. Due to material superiority, the relatively-new wide-bandgap semiconductors such as Silicon-Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs enable higher voltages, switching frequencies and operating temperatures when compared to Silicon technology, resulting in improved converter specifications. The current study tries to investigate the impact of emerging medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs on industrial motor drive application, where over a quarter of the total electricity in the world is being consumed. Firstly, non-commercial SiC MOSFETs at 3.3 kV and 400 A rating are characterized to enable converter design and simulation based on them. In order to feature the best performance out of the devices under test, an intelligent high-performance gate driver is designed embedding required functionalities and protections. Secondly, total of three converters are targeted for industrial motor drive application at medium-voltage and high-power range. For this purpose the cascaded H-bridge, the modular multilevel converter and the 5-L active neutral point clamped converters are designed at 4.16-, 6.9- and 13.8 kV voltage ratings and 3- and 5 MVA power ratings. Selection of different voltage and power levels is done to elucidate variation of different parameters within the converters versus operating point. Later, comparisons are done between the surveyed topologies designed at different operating points based on Si IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs. The comparison includes different aspects such as efficiency, power density, semiconductor utilization, energy stored in converter structure, fault containment, low-speed operation capability and parts count (for a measure of reliability). Having the comparisons done based on simulation data, an H-bridge cell is implemented using 3.3 kV 400 A SiC MOSFETs to evaluate validity of the conducted simulations. Finally, a novel method is proposed for series-connecting individual SiC MOSFETs to reach higher voltage devices. Considering the fact that currently the SiC MOSFETs are not commercially available at voltages higher above 1.7 kV, this will enable implementation of converters using medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs that are achieved by stacking commercially-available 1.7 kV MOSFETs. The proposed method is specifically developed for SiC MOSFETs with high dv/dt rates, while majority of the existing solutions could only work merely with slow Si-based semiconductors. / Ph. D. / Despite their mature technology and low manufacturing cost, the traditional Si-based power semiconductors had reached their limitations in operation from different points of view. The SiC MOSFETs which are the new generation of power semiconductors however seem to be able to shift the existing boundaries of operation for the Si-based semiconductors, resulting in significant improvement in design and operation of power electronics converters. This dissertation focuses on investigating the impact of emerging medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs on industrial motor drives, which consume over 28% of the total electricity used in the world. Firstly, the state-of-the-art non-commercial 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs are characterized. Characterization of the devices is done to extract their key features such as switching and conduction losses, to enable loss calculation and performance evaluation in any target application. Since the mentioned devices are not commercial yet, the gate driving circuitry that can feature the best performance out of them are not commercially available either. Thus, the characterization process starts with design of an intelligent high-performance gate driver for the devices under test. Secondly, total of three topologies that are targeted for the study are discussed and their basics of operation is investigated. For this purpose the cascaded H-bridge, the modular multilevel converter and the 5-L active neutral point clamped converters are designed at three different voltage levels (4.16-, 6.9- and 13.8 kV) and two power levels (3- and 5 MVA). Selection of different voltage and power levels is done to enable comparison from different aspects as the operating point changes. Later, comparisons are done between the surveyed topologies designed at different operating points using different semiconductor technologies. The performed comparisons provide an unbiased input for the manufacturers and customers of these converters for selection of the target topology in motor drive application. Also to verify validity of the conducted simulations and calculations, a full-bridge converter cell is experimentally implemented using 3.3 kV 400 A SiC MOSFETs. Finally, a novel method is proposed for series-connecting lower-voltage SiC MOSFETs to reach higher-voltage devices. As of late 2017, the medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs are not commercially available. Also it is expected that upon commercialization, their price will be multiple times of that of low-voltage SiC MOSFETs. Thus, connecting lower-voltage SiC MOSFETs in series is an effective way of achieving higher-voltage devices and take advantage of superior properties if the SiC MOSFETs, while the availability and high cost problems are taken care of.

[pt] Neste estudo é apresentada a análise da interação da luz laser de alta potência com rochas nos processos de perfuração por fragmentação térmica. O objetivo principal do trabalho é estabelecer, através de um estudo experimental, a possibilidade de utilizar a tecnologia a laser na perfuração de rochas duras, tais como o granito, quartzo, entre outros. Sua motivação encontra-se na aplicação de novas tecnologias para desenvolver ferramentas que melhorem a eficiência no processo de perfuração de poços (maior taxa de penetração), e conseguir retirar a maior quantidade de material fragilizado pela irradiação do laser. Para isto, foi necessário fazer uma montagem opto–mecânica envolvendo um sistema de limpeza que ajudasse a remover o material fragilizado pela ação do laser, usando-se gás de nitrogênio a alta pressão. Foram analisados diferentes intervalos de tempo de exposição da radiação do laser nas rochas, para avaliar a taxa de volume retirado, e a quantidade de energia específica requerida para perfurar diferentes materiais, em função da potência e do tempo de irradiação do laser. Seguindo a revisão bibliográfica na seleção do material, foram escolhidos três tipos de materiais (granito branco, granito cinza e travertino) conhecidos comercialmente no Brasil e que têm similitude (na composição química) com as rochas encontradas nas formações do Pré-sal. A partir desta seleção, foi indispensável conhecer a composição química dos materiais através de fluorescência, raios X, e Microscopia de Varredura (MEV). Além disso, estudou-se o comportamento termomecânico das rochas carbonáticas através de análises térmicas (Termogravimetria e Análise Térmico Diferencial), para identificar e compreender os fenômenos envolvidos no processo de perfuração. Os resultados obtidos são analisados para parametrizar as variáveis em consideração, melhorando as condições do processo de perfuração por fragmentação térmica, dependendo do material estudado. / [en] This study presents the analysis of the interaction of high power laser light with rocks in thermal fragmentation drilling processes. The main objective of the work is to establish, through an experimental study, the possibility of using laser technology in the drilling of hard rocks, such as granite, quartz and others. The motivation is the application of new technologies to develop tools that improve the efficiency in the well drilling process (higher penetration rate), and to be able to remove the largest amount of material weakened by laser irradiation. For this, it was necessary to make an opto-mechanical assembly involving a cleaning system that would help to remove the material weakened by the action of the laser, using nitrogen gas at high pressure. Different exposure time intervals of laser radiation in the rocks were analyzed to evaluate the volume rate removed and the amount of specific energy required to drill different materials, depending on the power and irradiation time of the laser. Following the literature review in selecting the material, three types of materials (white granite, gray granite and travertine) known commercially in Brazil and that are similar (in chemical composition) to the rocks found in the pre-salt formations were chosen. From this selection, it was essential to know the chemical composition of the materials through fluorescence, X-rays, and Scanning Microscopy (SEM). In addition, the thermomechanical behavior of the carbonate rocks wasstudied through thermal analysis (Thermogravimetry and Differential Thermal Analysis) to identify and understand the phenomena involved in the drilling process. The results obtained are analyzed to parameterize the variables under consideration, improving the conditions of the drilling process by thermal fragmentation, depending on the material studied.